However just for the hell of it I will take the contrarian view. A leader of his stature is just what the EU needs to be taken seriously by the world and by its own citizens. Sure he would be controversial. Good. Lets have the rows. At the end of the day he would be subject to the decisions of the council.
Are we seriously saying Jean-Claude Juncker is the best alternative? Bertie Ahern would be better! And you can have him. Ireland is finished with him... notes from no w here
If it was almost any other UK political figure it would probably be an advantage. Life should consist in at least fifty percent pure waste of time, and the rest doing what you please.
since then I have been impressed by the quiet solidity of his convictions, even when I disagree with him.
But, he is not a global political celebrity in the Blair mould. Do we want a solid achiever or a gadfly ?
Who's that Italian comedian who embarrasses the government ? He'd be a good nomination keep to the Fen Causeway
Not a bad choice. (To be honest, hadn't thought of Major)
But Major would be more acceptable than Blair, i.e., he doesn't have the "baggage" that comes with Bush's 'Yo Blair.
But he'll need some sort of support to get his name in the ballot box or we don't exactly have a pro-Europe Tory party in the UK.
I suspect most Brits would be quite glad to have "their" man in charge of the continentals.
I don't think it's seen like that here. Blair is almost universally loathed now. I don't know anyone in any party who thinks of him as an inspirational or positive figure.
Europe is also loathed by the little-Englanders, but there are more reasoned conversations about the UK-EU relationship going on in some parts of the business community.
So Blair isn't really seen as One Of Us by anyone here. He wouldn't be seen as representing the UK in Europe. He'd been seen more as a kind of shadow mini-Saddam - the corrupt former despot of Blairistan, with its population of one and a half adults, a couple of teenagers, a wobbly toddler, plus a few lackeys and hangers on.
I think most people here would be happier to have Sarkozy as EU president. He seems to fit the Euro stereotype much more closely than a shape-shifting political mutant like Blair. In the UK Sarko seems to be considered good entertainment, no matter how dire he appears to the French.
Are there really no other alternatives from a bloc that stretches from the Atlantic to the Russian border?
Frankly, the idea that we might be forced to listen to Tony Blair mouthing, imposing his favourite personal doctrine of his latter PM years "It's the right thing to do" in the EU would be just too much ...that would seriously divide the EU more than anything...
Re Bertie Ahern, with a nickname like that, doubt he'll have a chance? Seriously now, he'll have to obtain Ireland support massively to even be considered.
But that would hardly be unifying -- the job requirement is for one who is solidly a concesus builder...
Blair did that very effectively until Iraq.
Bertie turned down the job of President of the EU Commission and arranged for Barroso to get it instead. He didn't want it then, and I doubt he'll want it now, and in any case his stock has fallen considerably since. notes from no w here
Are you serious?... *Traitor*, n. A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
Does Bertie credit himself with that? Methinks Aznar and B also had a big role in it, but most important was Bliar, this was his only real EU success.
Maybe you and The3rdColumn don't remember, but the candidate Bliar wanted to and succeeded in nudging out was Juncker. (It shall come as no surprise that Juncker would later say, We Don't Need Britain!...) *Traitor*, n. A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
